Speaking at the Stadio Arena Das Dunas, the Italy tactician was coy on the subject of who would play tomorrow against the South Americans.

After being pressed about a previous quote where he questioned whether Mario Balotelli and Ciro Immobile could co-exist, the Italy coach explained, “I’ve never said those two cannot play together. If and when we decide to play two up front there will be modifications we need to make.

“And usually it’s not how many strikers you have on the field but how decisive they are.

“We have some things in mind but as yet nothing is official. I’m keeping everyone on tenterhooks for now.”

Given the importance of their final match, Prandelli said, “I have told the players to believe in qualification. We don’t want to look for excuses after the game. We are determined to win.”

The crucial tie kicks off at 5pm BST, with the Italians only needing to avoid to defeat to progress into the knockout stage.